English
spear
Spear comes from Middle English spere ‘a spear or lance’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sperH- ‘to kick’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sperH-‘to kick’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sperureconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spere‘spear, lance, pike, javelin’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a spear or lance’
- Englishearliest quotation 1707spear
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sperH-‘to kick’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sperureconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spere‘spear, lance, pike, javelin’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a spear or lance’
- Englishearliest quotation 1707spear
Earliest quotation: 1707, John Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or: “you may prepare them for spearing by laying the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sperH- ‘to kick’
hemisphere, spur, spoor, 9 more
through Middle English spere ‘a spear or lance’
Another origin of spear
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spīr‘stalk of a plant, shoot, blade’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spyre
- Englishtodayspear
Today it means
noun A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sperH- / spear